Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, and Bernie Sanders would all be over 70 by inauguration day in 2021.

By NTK Staff | 12.03.2018 @9:00am

A survey of Democratic leaders in Iowa found that they are “hungry for a young standard-bearer who will usher in generational change,” according to the Wall Street Journal.

Iowa Democrats are also looking for a candidate “who can appeal to the ethnically and racially diverse voters.”

Of the 76 Democratic county party leaders who responded to the survey, 43 said they would prefer a young candidate. They said they want a fresh face and expressed interest in potential candidates who haven’t run for president before. They yearn for a nominee with the energizing charisma of President Barack Obama to counter President Donald Trump’s rowdy base. Most said gender wouldn’t be a determining factor.

While not automatically disqualifying, the mood of Iowa Democrats could spell trouble for three of the party’s perceived front runners: Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and former Vice President Joe Biden. Each are white candidates who will be at least 70 years old by inauguration day in 2021.

The news is a boon for failed Texas Senate candidate, Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), who is publicly mulling a presidential run. Iowa Democrats are so smitten with O’Rourke that the Polk County Democratic Party, which contains the city of Des Moines, invited O’Rourke to visit.

In a recent privately-conducted poll of Iowa Democrats, Biden led the field with 37 percent, followed by Warren at 16, and Sanders at 12. Sens. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), both younger candidates, earned 10 and 8 percent, respectively. That poll was conducted in September, prior to O’Rourke’s loss to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).

“As you age, you lose something and I don’t think young people in the country are going to support that,” one Iowa Democrat told the Journal. If that becomes the overarching mindset of Iowa Democrats, the older candidates may struggle to gain traction.